Set yourself up for Divine Healing – Key Beliefs to Hold

 

The promise of Healing

Jesus’ ministry involved teaching people about God and the kingdom, casting out devils, and healing the sick. He commissioned followers to continue His work and make disciples of all nations. He gave us the Holy Spirit to help us, full authority over the devil, and permission to use His name. He told us believers would do the same works He did: casting out devils and healing the sick. Sadly many suffer today, and few actually realize this scriptural promise.

I have seen two primary causes for this missed opportunity:  One is lack of knowledge or understanding and the other is unbelief; people either never got much Christian education in the area of healing, or their education was biased by selective interpretation of the bible. The devil has been very effective at getting the Christian population divided into segments with different interpretations of the bible. Many church leaders and devoted followers are so emotionally committed to defending their version of teachings and traditions they struggle to read the Word of God objectively and they miss out as a result.

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6)  

It doesn’t help that the original works have been translated and the original intent is sometimes obscured.  The good news is you have the tools to figure it out. And the Holy Spirit will tell you in your “knower” when you get it right.   ex: Look up how the Greek word “Sozo” is used in the new testament.

Many read the bible as a collection of stories but fail to glean a deep understanding of the nature and will of God. This is most critical. Without confidence in your heart of Gods will and intention, you will be filled with doubts and will be unsteady when confronted with challenges in your life. If you do not know God’s will for your life, you can not act in faith.

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.” (Ephesians 1:17)

Since the day Jesus ascended to heaven, the devil has been working overtime to get people distracted from what Jesus actually did for us. People have become focused on superficial messages, dependent on unending forgiveness for ongoing transgressions, and pursuing wonderful worship music and a happy feeling once a week to offset the mess they live every day.  Many are not doing the serious work of repentance and transformation He intended when He died to get us out of sin. Many cling to superficial soundbites rather than being rooted in the actual Word of God. Many of those superficial soundbites are actually lies.  Here are a few common lies that lead to unbelief and can stand in the way of divine healing.

Common lies and sources of unbelief

  1. Some believe miracles are not for today, They claim Jesus was not human but was God so only he could do miracles, and the 12 apostles and the initial 70 were specially anointed men so only they could do miracles. Things are somehow different now so miracles can not happen.  These folks don’t believe John 14:12 – Jesus expects “Believers” to do the same works as He did …and more. 
  2. Some believe healing only comes through those with a special gifting.  They do not believe Mark 16:17-18 – “Believers” will cast out demons and heal the sick.
  3. Some think illness is normal, they don’t believe illness is of the devil.  They do not believe Ephesians 6:4 – We do not struggle against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities.
  4. Some believe illness and even death is God’s will for them. They do not believe  2 Peter 3:9 – The lord does not will any to die but that all should come to repentance and live, or John 10:10 – The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Jesus comes that they may have life, and life in abundance.
  5. Some believe God works in mysterious ways and you can not possibly know His will. They do not believe Ephesians 5:17 where he bluntly tells us not to be foolish and to understand the will of the Lord. And John 14:7 where Jesus revealed the Fathers will through His life and actions, if you know Me you know the Father.

My personal testimony refutes each of these lies and confirms the truth in the Word of God. Healing is for now and you can have it if you actually believe the truth in the Word of God, and act in faith.

I have come to appreciate a series of fundamental beliefs that form a foundation for divine healing. We need to get each of these fundamentals square in our mind, convert them to beliefs we hold deep in our heart, and then act on them in faith so that God’s grace can flow into our situation.

Moving from Understanding to Belief to Faith to Grace.

The Holy kingdom operates on Faith. You recieve faith when you understand the promises in the bible and decide to act on them (Thinking, Speaking, Doing) before there is any tangible physical evidence to support them.  When you act on a promise in faith, you create space and the tension for Grace to flow in.

Example: When you wake up feeling tired but proclaim “Good morning Jesus, Thank you for another day, It is going to be great having you with me all day and we will shine!” … you are ignoring your current reality, proclaiming a promise, and making space for God’s grace to flow in to your day.  If you had said: “Boy I feel like crap…this must be another Monday and it is really going to suck.”  there is no room for God’s grace to do anything positive for you.

Another example: When someone prays for healing, and at the end they say – “Lord, heal me if it is Your will”, or “Thanks for praying for me, prayer cant hurt, I’ll let you know if anything changed…”,  they have removed all faith from the situation. There is no sincere belief in a promise, no clear expectation for results, no acting in faith, no room for God’s grace to flow in.   

God’s solutions flow into your life by Grace. You make room for grace when you act in Faith – Thinking , Speaking and Doing. If you are not acting in faith in anticipation and expectation of God’s miraculous move, there is no pathway or space and no tension for His grace to flow in.

The first thing we need to do to get this started is to establish some solid beliefs. Beliefs start with gaining understanding in your mind.  We read or hear a piece of scripture, research it, figure out what it means,  how does it fit in context, how does it fit with the overall narrative, what are its implications, do I believe my interpretation is truth, what do I need to do differently based on my new understanding.  When working though a topic It helps to try to explain it, reflect on it, and even defend it in discussion.  As we begin to see how each one fits and how they bring merit and value, they become established as truths in our mind and beliefs in our heart. When we are willing to act on those beliefs by speaking or doing we are building faith. Divine healing comes only through acting in Faith, so we need to get these key beliefs in place and build faith.

The key belief foundation for divine healing

Work through the following chain of beliefs.  Do you fully understand the point? Can you explain it? Can you defend it?  Do you fully embrace it? Are you living your life by it?  Would you bet your life on it? We need to get to the level where we are living our life believing in our heart that each is true and expecting the results they promise.    

  1. Believe God is pure love, He loves you, and His will is for you to live a long life and bear fruit for the kingdom under His protection.
  2. Believe Illness is of the devil and he is stealing life from you.
  3. Believe Sin separates us from God’s protection, and opens the door for the devil – Adam’s sin, Your sin, Sins of prior generations.
  4. Confess your sins (Known and unknown), Repent (regret causing the damage you have caused), and Turn from them – commit to avoid them (Sins known and unknown, including unbelief in the written word).
  5. Believe in the Gospel story, (virgin birth into sinful flesh, resisted temptation and lead sinless life, blood shed as an innocent sacrifice, body becoming sin cursed on a pole, resurrection in the flesh bringing eternal life for all who believe)  Confess your belief and Accept Jesus Christ as your lord and savior.
  6. Accept His love, the gracious forgiveness through His blood, and the merciful salvation through His resurrection.
  7. Accept redemption and righteousness through Jesus’ intercession – reunion with the Father as before Adam’s sin.
  8. Believe your spirit is born again, and you are now an adopted son of God – heir to the kingdom and all its’ promises.
  9. Transform your life by transforming your mind – so you can follow Jesus as lord and live a life worthy of the price He paid.
    • Deny yourself: Stop purely self-centered interests – Focus on Jesus and flowing His love through you to others.
    • Pick up your cross: Separate yourself from the world, Resist temptation; Think, Speak, and Act righteously; Expect to suffer persecution for the cause.
    • Follow Him: Humble yourself, Know the Word, Get to know Him, Come into union, Live by the spirit, Continue His work.
  10. Accept the commission to continue His work as the body of Christ – Become the light in the darkness, Find the lost, Testify ot the truth, Defeat the works of the devil.
  11. Ask for and Receive the Holy Spirit – to help you, teach you, and correct you. Believe the resurrection power that raised Jesus is in you, the power to heal your flesh.
  12. Believe any believer with the Holy Spirit can do today what Jesus did then – know the will of the father, cast out demons, heal the sick.
  13. Believe and use the Word of God as the sword of the spirit – Truth, Permanent and Unchanging,  Purposeful and Powerful, Seed that must be sown and nurtured, Becomes Alive and Active in us, Forms building blocks of our faith. Legally binding in spiritual world, we must enforce it. 
  14. Believe you are seated in heavenly places and have full authority over the devil.
  15. Believe the devil no longer has a legal right to you – your sins are forgiven, your consequences have been paid, you are righteous through Jesus.
  16. Believe you are righteous. Jesus paid for it, enforce the Word of God, rebuke the devil, and cast him out on your authority in Jesus Name.
  17. Believe God’s will is for you to be healed right here and right now. “Jesus did the Fathers will” “Jesus healed all” “Jesus does not chage”
  18. Claim the promise of healing – “Confess your sins, Prayer of faith heals the sick”, “He sent His word and healed us”. “By His stripes I WAS healed”
  19. Speak God’s will into place – “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. This is your will. “I was healed”, “I am healed”, “It is written”.
  20. Enforce the word of God in faith – “ask anything in Jesus name”, “I believe and I receive”  “All promises are yes and AMEN”.

Supporting Scripture

  1. Believe God is love, He loves you, and His will is for you to live a long life and bear fruit for the kingdom under His protection.

“…God is love” (1 John 4:7)

“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.”(1 John 4:9)

“You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess. (Deuteronomy 5:33-33)

“If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians….” (Exodus 15:26)

“But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

  1. Believe Illness is of the devil and he is stealing life from you.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12)

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” (John 10:10);

  1. Believe Sin separates us from God’s protection and opens the door for The devil – Adam’s sin, Your sin, Sins of prior generations.

“But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2)

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

“For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)

“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned”. (Romans 5:12)

“ … For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,…” (Deuteronomy 5:9)

“Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow, So a curse without cause shall not alight.” (Proverbs 26:2)

  1. Confess your sins and Repent (Sins known and unknown, including unbelief in the written word).

“Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19)

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:19)

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:8)

“For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn His face from you if you return to Him.”(2 Chronicles 30:9b)

“For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!” (Ezekiel 18:32)

  1. Believe in the Gospel story, (virgin birth into sinful flesh, resisted temptation and lead sinless life, blood shed as an innocent sacrifice, body becoming sin cursed on a pole, resurrection in the flesh bringing eternal life for all who believe)  Confess your belief and Accept Jesus Christ as your lord and savior.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”(John 3:16)

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15-16)

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”(Mark 1:15)

“…if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18)

  1. Accept His love, the gracious forgiveness by His innocent blood, and the merciful salvation and eternal life through His resurrection.

“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.” (1 John 4:9)

“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

“Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven” (Mark 3:28).

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

  1. Accept the redemption He paid for, and the righteousness He provides through intercession – reunion with the Father – perfect union as it as before Adam’s sin – Access to the Holiest of Holy Places – The throne in Heaven – The veil is removed.

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7)

“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

“…the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe..” (Romans 3:21-23)

 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

 

  1. Believe your spirit is born again, and you are now an adopted son of God – heir to the kingdom and all its’ promises.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3)

“Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:6)

“For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” (Romans 8:15-17)

  1. Transform your mind so you can follow Jesus as Lord, and live a life worthy of the price He paid.

“…do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)

“For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)

“For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6-8)

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. (Matthew 16:24)

      • Deny yourself: Stop purely self-centered interests, Focus on Jesus and flowing His’ love through you to others.

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3)

“But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.” (James 3:14-16)

“but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.” (Romans 2:8)

“…and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:8)

“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:14-15)

      • Take up your cross: Seporate yourself from the world. Resist temptation; Think, Speak, and Act righteously; Expect to suffer persecution for the cause.

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1)

“But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15)

“No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:9)

      • Follow Him: Humble yourself, Know the Word, Get to Know Jesus, Come into union, Live by the spirit, Continue His work.

“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: ‘Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth’; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” (1 Peter 2:21-24)

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” (John 17:20-23)

  1. Believe you have the Holy Spirit operating inside you – and the resurrection power will heal your flesh

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:13)

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” (John 14:26)

“…if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:11)

  1. Believe any believer today can do what Jesus did then – cast out demons, heal the sick

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” (John 14:12)

“And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” (Mark 16:17-18)

  1. Accept the commission to continue His work as the body of Christ – Become a light in the darkness, Find the lost, Defeat the works of the devil.

“…As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21).

“I am the light of the world”(John 8:12)  now “You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14)

“for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”(Luke 19:10)

“… For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”(1 John 3:8)

  1. Embrace the Word of God as the sword of the spirit – Truth, Permanent and Unchanging,  Purposeful and Powerful, Seed that must be sown and nurtured, Becomes Alive and Active in us, Forms building blocks of our faith. Legally binding in spiritual world, we must enforce it. 
  • It is part of God, permanent and unchanging

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” (Matthew 24:35)

“For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” (Matthew 5:18)

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”(Isaiah 40:8) 

  • It is pure truth

“Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.” (Proverbs 30:5)

“Your word is truth.” (John 17:17)

“The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.” (Psalm 119:160)

“For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Proverbs 2:6)

  • It has a purpose and will accomplish its purpose

“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11) 

“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)

“He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.”(Psalm 107:20)

  • It is spiritual food, we must eat it, sow it into our mind and heart

“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4)

“As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.”
(1 Peter 2:2)

“My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.” (Proverbs 4:20-22)

“Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” (Matthew 13:18-23)

  • It becomes alive and active in us

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

“Since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Peter 1:23)

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Colossians 3:16)

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul” (Psalm 19:7)

  • It forms the building blocks of our faith

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”(Romans 10:17)

“And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”(Acts 20:32)

  • We must hold fast to the word in order to shine in a fallen world 

“Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life. ( hilippians 2:14-16a)

“Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.” (Proverbs 4:5)

“I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food.” (Job 23:12)

“…blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:28) 

  • It is binding, enforced

‘“None of My words will be postponed any more, but the word which I speak will be done,” says the Lord God.’ (Ezekiel 12:28)

  • We are to actively wield it as a sword to stand against the devil and hold him accountable.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)

“…be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:10-13)

“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” Ephesians 6:14-18)

  1. Believe you are seated in heavenly places and you have full authority over the devil.

“By the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh” (Hebrews 10:20)

“But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.”(2 Corinthians 3:16)

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19)

“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19)

  1. Believe the devil no longer has a legal right to you – your sins are forgiven, your consequences have been paid, you are righteous through Jeus

“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14)

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

“Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)

  1. Stand in the righteousness Jesus paid for, positioned in heavenly places and enforce the word of God, cast out the devil on your authority, in Jesus name

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16).

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-6)

“Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 18:18)

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)

  1. Believe God’s will is for you to be healed right here and right now. “Jesus did the Fathers will” “Jesus healed all” “Jesus is unchanging”

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” (Colossians 1:15)

“He made known to us the mystery of His will…” (Ephesians 1:9)

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” (John 6:38)

“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” (John 14:7-9)

“…And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick…” (Matthew 6:16-17)

“And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.” (Luke 6:19)

“Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well.” (Mark 6:56)

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

  1. Claim the promise of healing – “Confess sins, Prayer of faith heals the sick”, “By his stripes I was healed”, “

“He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.” (Psalm 107:20)

“…I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 30:17)

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, Who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases” (Psalm 103:23)

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. (James 5:14-16)

“But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings” (Malachi 4:2)

“…by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24)

  1. Speak God’s will into place – Your word is truth, Your will is healing, “It is written”, I will pray it into place.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21)

“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16)

“Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10)

“Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.” (James 5:17)

“I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.” (Psalm 138:2)

  1. Act in faith: “ask anything in Jesus name”, “I believe and I receive” “All promises are yes and AMEN”.

”And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13)

“If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” (John 14:14)

“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” (Mark 11:24)

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” (1 John 5:14-15)

“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” (2 Corinthians 1:20)

Do you act like you believe?

 

Do you believe in God? Do you act as if you believe in God? Both matter.

Many people claim to “believe” only because they think it will get them into heaven. They don’t act any differently than those who don’t believe. They will be disappointed when they are not on the access list at the pearly gates.

Believing is necessary and it is a great starting point.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

Believing starts in your head when you acknowledge that you understand the sequence of events in the bible and you accept they are true. The next level is to comprehend the significance of those events and their ramifications. The next level is to understand your role in the story, what Jesus did for you, and what you need to do as a result. The next level is to embrace your role and become committed to the journey; That commitment to doing is what it means to “believe in your heart”. 

“…if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

Many current church programs miss the mark: They market Christianity with an exclusive focus on getting into heaven. They get peoples heads believing then rush them into a confession of salvation and declare success. Not a good long term strategy for the kingdom.

Once you properly understand the Gospel, you discover it is not about speaking a promise so you are qualified to get into heaven someday, it is about doing the work of transforming yourself today so that you can bring heaven to earth hear and now.

“Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)

Jesus never asked anyone to make a pledge of belief just so they could get into heaven someday. He asked them to stop focusing on themselves in this earthly life and then to be willing to suffer any consequences now for the promise of eternal life in the kingdom with Him.

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.’ ” (Matthew 16:24-26)

He made it clear that believing in your head is not enough, you must be committed to self reflection and adjustment to turn from sin and gain alignment with God’s principles.

“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ ” (Matthew 4:17)

“Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3, 5)

Let’s see what true belief might look like:

If you genuinely believe there is a God, then you will live in fear (respect) of the lord, knowing He is watching your thoughts and actions, knowing you will be judged on the day of reckoning, and knowing you will suffer or be rewarded based on how you lived your life.

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2 Cor 5:10)

“If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth” (1 Peter 1:17)

If you genuinely believe, you know that Jesus paid a huge price for your eternal life, and the least you can do is live this life worthy of that price.

“…let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27)

“For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:20)

Jesus made it clear that merely believing is not enough, nor is going through extensive religious motions; To get into heaven, you must change and come into alignment with God’s will.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23).

What does it mean to do the will of the Father? Or for Jesus to ”Know You”? Or to not practice lawlessness? The answer is pretty simple: You must keep His commandments!

“Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.” (1 John 2:3)

The two great commandments are to love God first and foremost, and to love your neighbor as yourself. You must bring yourself and your life into alignment with these two big rules to get into heaven.

“Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:36-40)

Many folks view the commandment as restrictions, what they don’t realize is they are wonderful tools. They help us discover and overcome the flaws in our inner nature. We live in a fallen world; We are each born with self-centered, self-serving agendas in our heart. Generally, they sound a bit like “It is all about me here and now”. Those self-serving agendas tend to cause problems for us and others as we go through life; They are the roots of all sin and can rear up and get ugly if we allow them to continue to live in us. They also limit us; We cannot reach our full potential until we discover them, root them out, and move them the out of our way.

In order to accomplish God’s will and comply with the commandments, we must change or focus from earthly or worldly things, start to see things from His heavenly eternal perspective,  and then modify our behavior to align. 

I find it most helpful to look at this is as a flow; A flow of Love. Love is the answer. The entire spiritual world is driven by love.  The Lords love must flow through us to get to others and to attract them to His kingdom. When there are kinks in our pipes, we impede the flow of His love, and limit His reach. God is Love (1 John 4:8). He loves us (John3:16). His love flows into us (1 John 4:16). We love others because He loved us first (1 John 4:19). His love is perfected when it flows through us (1 John 4:12). Everything we do is to be done in Love (1 Corinthians 16:14). 

The Lord has given us a life, talents and gifts, a network of family, friends and associates, a bunch of worldly resources, and many opportunities. How we use what we are given is up to us. When our ego gets in the way, or we hoard the resources or squander the opportunities He provides us, or we get wrapped around the axil on petty selfish concerns, we impede the flow of His love into us or through us to others. So the challenge is to find the kinks in our pipes and straighten them out.

I offer A couple of exercises to help you:

  1. Look at your activities: Go through your typical day or week, Ask yourself Why you do each of the things you do. Is it for God? Is it for someone else? Or is it for you? If it is for you, is it just for you, are you really the only person benefiting? Those are opportunities. Many times it is a mental connect the dots activity. ex: I am exercising 3x per week. Why: so I can stay healthy. OK Why? Because I want to live a long life. OK why? So I can be of service to others? Now we are getting somewhere! What is your root motivation for doing the things you do… start connecting each activity either to serving God directly or enabling you to serve others and it will shift your focus. If you are spending energy on things and you can’t connect to a higher purpose, you have a kink to work out.
  2. How do you view God? Is He the creator, the source of all that is good in the world, your provider, your shepherd, your savior, your redeemer, your healer? How much do you know about Him? Can you see His hand in your life? Do you know him personally? Do you talk with him often? Do you hear His voice? Do you feel His presence? Are you letting Him lead you? If not, you have a kink on the incoming side and are not getting the full load of His love into your life.
  3. How do you view other people? Are they obstacles to deal with as you go through your day? Are they resources to help you get things done? Are they each God’s children struggling to live in a fallen world? How you think of them shapes how you interact with them. Do you have any kinks in the outflowing side of your love? Become His Love in action.
  4. How do your view your material possessions? Are they fancy things to acquire and show off? Are they God’s resources you are prudently managing to be of service to yourself and others? Are there any kinks or plugs in your internal pluming. How is His love flowing through your resources?

Your life is an interview for heaven. How is it going so far?

Remember: Believing is only a start; Love is the answer. Reaffirm your commitment to keep the commandments. Recognize the opportunities to get “yourself” out of the way, ask the lord for help to root out your selfish interests.

Find ways to flow some of His love today: Smile, Be pleasant, Be supportive, Be encouraging, Be helpful, Be generous, Become God’s love in action.

God bless you, and may God bless the USA